Type-writer platen-shifting mechanism.



PATENTED OOT.16, 1906.

, J. ALEXANDER. I TYPE WRITER PLATEN SHIFTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 9, 1903.

2 SHEBTSSHEBT 1.

N0. 833 ,284. PATENTED 0GT.16, 1906.

' Y J. ALEXANDER. I

TYPE WRITER PLATEN SHIFTING MECHANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED MAB.9, 19.03.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

NITED STATES PATEN oEEIoE.

JESSE ALEXANDER, or BROOKLYN; NEw YORK, AssIeNon-BY MEsNE ASSIGNM s, ToLEE ALEXANDER, KITTIE ALEXANDER, JR, JESSE ALEXANDER, Ja, D 'rYvEALEXANDER.

TYPE-WRITER PLATEN- SHIFTING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1906.

Original application filed June 2, 1902, Serial No. 109,925. Divided andthis application filed March 9,1903. Serial No; 146,898-

- New York, have invented certaln new and useful Improvements inType-Writer Platen- Shifting Mechanism, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in type-writers, and particularlyto the mechanism for effecting theshifting of the platen in that classof machines known as the shift type, other details of construction ofwhich aremore fully set forth in the a plication filed by me June 2,1902, Serial NE). 109,925, from which this is a divisional application.v

The object of this invention is to construct keyoperated mechanism forshifting the platen from the lower tothe upper case osition in a sim 1eand easy manner and w ich will be durab le.

.The object is also to provide a means for automatically locking thecarriage or platen in the upper-case position when raised by means ofone key-bar and of releasing it by the operation of another key-bar.

It will be found to consist in the improvemeiits more fully set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the specification hereinafter. p

Figure 1 is a cross-section and side elevation of the parts of atype-writer embodying the improvements of my invention, showing theplaten raised to the upper-case-position. Fig. 2 is a side elevation,slightly enlarged, of the shifting mechanism. Fig. 3 is a plan view of afragment of the frame of the machine with the carriage in place, theplaten being omitted. Fig. 4 is a side view of the same with the platenin place. and showing a ty e-bar dotted in the printing position.

T e reference-figures are substantially the same as those used in theoriginal application.

'2' is a revoluble platencarried by the side plates 7.

, 22 is a side frame which constitutes a part pivotally con- 221- is abar which connects the two side frames" 22. 23is a guide-sleeve securedto i this bar 221, which is adapted to slide on the track-bar 24.

222 is a front track carried by the side frames 22, which has bearingsin a stationary support 224, carried by the frame of the machme.

131 is an auxiliary rail carried by the side plates 7 and with which theplaten-shifting roller 91 cooperatesp The carriage is, as usual in allmachines of this character, adapted to be moved'from side to side of themachine and is governed by a suitable feed mechanismas, for instance, alongitudinal rack 26, the gear 27 in engagementtherewith, a shaft 28carrying this gear 27, and a ratchet 29, a dog 30 and the' universal.mechanism, bar 31, arm 32, shaft 33, and lever 34, link 35, and spring36. The tension of the spring, and consequently the touch of themachine, may be adjusted by means of the screw- 361 and fixed-by theset-nut 362 a ainst the frame 363.

81 is oneof the intermediate levers of thekey and type-bar mechanism,which coopbars 84 and 85 are provided.- These are ivoted at the rear ofthe machine on the and right hand sides, respectively.

In Fig. 1 the section of the machine is taken so that the mechanismconnected with the eft left-hand key-bar 84 is shown in full and thatconnected with the right-hand key-bar is position. The key-bar 84 at therear has connected to it an arm 86, which stands in a substantiallyvertical position and is connected at the top with a thrust-rod 87. Thisrod 87 is slotted at the outer end and adapted to. engage with the pin881, carried by the arm 88. This ,arm 88 is secured at the left endoftherod 880, which is pivoted in the frame of the machine. Near thelongitudinal center of the machine is situated the arm 89, which iscarried by the shaft 880, This arm 89 is pivoted to ayoke 90, carrying ashive or roller 91, upon which the auxiliary rail 131' is adapted torest. I When the keybar 84 is depressed,-as shown in Fig.1, the

' arm 86 in moving forward thrusts the rod 87' forward, and thus byengaging the pin 881 shifts the roller 91, and consequently the plate-nframes 7 and the platen 2 by means and serves to operate the notchedplate 99,-

which is adapted to engage with one end of the in 881.

hen the parts arein their normal posi- I tion, the pin 881 rests in thelower notch in the plate 99. When the key-bar 84 is .depressed, theplate 99 moves and releases the pin 881, so that the arm 87 may move thepin forward, and consequently lift the platen through the medium of theroller 91. Upon release of the' key-bar 84 the pfrts return immediatelyto their original lower-case'po sition.

'On the right-hand side of the machine is a construction for operatingthe shifting device similar to that on the left-hand side, alreadydescribed. It differs from it in this, however, that there is nolocking-plate 99 and operating part. Consequently when the key-bar 85 isdepressed the arm 86 moves forward and thrusts the rod 87 so as to en'-gage the pin 881, and thus rotate the shaft 880. By this operation, theshaft 880 being rocked, the pin 881, carried by the arm 88, movescorrespondin l-y, so as to raise the platen as before. he pin 881,however, which is in engagement, with the notched plate 99,-de-pressesthe plate slightly, slips out of the lower notch and into the uppernotch, where it is held by the tension of the parts. The platen andother parts will be held in the upper case position for writing a lineof upper-case characters 'until released by the depressio'nof the lefthand key-bar 84. The release will be clearly understood, but, briefly,is performed by depressing the left hand keybar 84, so as to release theplate '99 and perwit the pin 881 to become free. The weight (if thecarriage parts and the platen will then return the construction to thelower case position. Both of the thrust rods 87 and 87 have slots in thefront ends similar to the slots 870, so that the pins 881 and 881 may bemoved independently by the tempora? or line shift-key bars.

' he ribbon-guiding mechanism is operated with the platen-shiftingmechanism, so as to bring the ribbon into a position suitable for theoperation of the type in both case positions. This construction is morecompletely set forth and claimed in my application, Serial No. 109,925,filed June 2, 1902. It

consists, briefly, however, in the lifter-rod 92,

which is attached to the yoke '90 and guided by the stationary arm 93and the U-shaped lever 94, pivoted to the rod 92 and in its turn pivotedto the ribboivguidin rod 95 and guided by the arm 32. When the platen isshifted by the movement of the yoke and shive 91, the rod 92 is raised,carrying with it the lever 94, and consequently the ribbonguide 95. Theoperation of the universal bar 31 will therefore tilt the lever 94 aboutits movable axis, guided by the arm 32, whether the parts are inthe'upper or lower case position. Of course when the platen is locked inthe upper-case position the operatin center of the lever 94 iscorrespondingly held in its upper position.

The temporary shift key-bar 84 is the 'one used for shifting the platentemporarily for single-characterprinting. The line shift keybar 85shifts the platen for printing a line or number of characters in theupper. case.

The advantages of this construction in permitting the carriage to beshifted for the purpose of operating the type in the upper-caseposition, either singly or in a series, and of releasing the structurewill be obvious. The structure is such that the parts are subject to butlittle wear and are so positioned --in relation to the other parts ofthe mechanism -as not to interfere with the operationof the machine.What I claim ise 1. In a type-writing machine, a platenshiftingmechanism including an auxiliary uide-rail, a roller coacting therewith,means or raising one of said parts comprising a rock-shaft, an armcarried-thereby for con necting with one of saidfirst-mentioned-parts, asecond and a third arm carried by said shaft one at each end, ahorizontally-positioned thrust-rod adapted to engage each of said secondand third arms forindependently operating the same, two shift-key barsand upright arms from said shift-key bars pivoted to said thrustbars forthe purpose specified.

2. In a type-writing machine, the (zombi nation of carriage side frames,platemcartying frames carried thereby, a platen mounted in said latterframes, front and rear guide l bars or tracks 'for saidcarriage-frarries, an auxiliary bar or track for the front ofisaidplaten-carrying frames, all .of said bars or tracks being located backof the front of, the platen, and key-controlled means for lifting saidplaten from lower to an up er case position, coacting with saidauxi'iary bar or track. i

In a type-writing machine, a carriagebody having side frames and aplaten-carrying frame plvoted thereto, a front and rear guide for saidcarriage, an auxiliary guiderail at the front of said platen-frame, aliftin roller having a frame,

tr guide-roller for said auxiliary rail saidmeans for moving said forsaid auxiliary rail, said ro ler having a frame, means for moving saidframe comprising a shift-key bar,a slotted cross-bar controlled thereby,and a bellcrank lever,

one of the arms of said lever engaging said slotted cross-bar and theother arm of said lever connectin to said roller-frame, saidroller-frame having a downwardly-projecting slotted arm, a stationaryarm carrying a pin to engage in the slot of said slotted arm to guidethe movements of said roller.

5. In a type-writing machine, a carriagebody having side frames and aplaten-carrying frame pivoted thereto, a front and rear guide for saidcarriage, an auxiliary uiderail at the front of said platen-frame, aifting guide-roller for saidauxiliary rail, said roller having a frame,means for moving said frame comprising a shift-key bar, a slottedcrossbar controlled thereby, and a bell-crank lever, one of the arms ofsaid lever engaging said slotted cross-bar and the other arm of saidlever connecting to said roller-frame, said roller-frame having adownwardly-projecting slotted arm, a stationary arm carrymg a pintoengage in the slot of said slotted arm to guide the movements of saidroller, the lower end of said slotted'arm being piv oted to a leverwhich in turn has a pivot, and a universal shaft having a slottedlevercooperating with the pivot-pin in said lever to guide the same.

6. In a type-Writing machine, a verticallymovable platen, side plates.carrying said platen, a main rear guide bar or track 6X,

tending. from side to side of the machine at the rear of said platen, aguide member connected to said plates and located substantially midwaybetween the same, for coacting with said main guide bar or track, a barconnecting the front ends of said plates below said platen and back ofthe printing position, and .key-controlled means for lifting said platenthrough the medium of said bar or track.

7. In a type-writing machine, carriage side plates, bars connecting thefront and rear thereof, guides for said bars, platen sidecarrying-plates sup orted by said carriage side plates, an auxi iary"bar connecting the front ends of said platenecarrying plates all of saidbars being to the rear of the printing position, key-controlledmechanism cooper'ating through the medium of such auxiliary bar forlifting said platen, and means carried by said carriage side plates andsaid platen-carrying side plates for mutual co operation to limit the uWard and downward movement of said p aten.

. JESSE ALEXANDER. Witnesses:

ROBT. S. ALLYN,

L. VREELAND.

